We haven't forgotten, though, that most of you have already played The Sims 1. No matter what twists and turns the wacky life of your Sims may take, IGN will be right here. In fact, the majority of the guide will cover the life cycle of one particular family, starting with one particular Sim. Throughout it all, you'll see real (fictional?) examples of Sims living the dream, with screenshots to boot. We'll also teach you how to turn that money into architectural art that will be the envy of the Internet… or at least your Sims' virtual neighborhood. You'll learn how to get your Sims promoted up the corporate food chain and make more money than you ever dreamed of.

You'll get all the basics: from how to create a Sim to not having your Sim wet itself in the middle of a party. This guide is your be-all, end-all information super-package for The Sims 2. Of course, how they should is up to you, but no matter how that may be, we're here to help.

But don't worry, because we here at IGN know what it takes to get Sims behaving the way they should. Practically every gameplay element has been tweaked (and some downright overhauled), and old strategies may not work quite as well as they used to. If we were, we each wouldn't have invested several hundred bucks into one computer game and its seven expansion packs… and now, its sequel! Being a true sequel, as opposed to just another expansion pack, means a number of things. We here at IGN are not satisfied, either. And you're still not satisfied? What the hell is wrong with you? Well, don't worry about it. After being bored with all that, your family did the Harry Potter thing and is makin' magic all over Magic Town. You sent your Sim to Studio Town and got him to become the biggest superstar SimNation has ever seen. You got a pet in Old Town and unleashed him onto the public. Your growing family went on vacation to Vacation Island. Your bachelor Sim has gone on hot dates and met their spouse Downtown. You've thrown the best house parties on the planet, and Drew Carey is over every night. You're livin' large with items like your Servo robot and chemistry set. You built a small house that has expanded into art rivaling architectural masterpieces such as the Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower.

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